Frank Lary, baseball player, 1954-1965

Frank Lary

Born: 4/10/1930 in Northport, AL, USA

Died: 12/14/2017 in Northport, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1954-09-14 | Final Game: 1965-09-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Frank Strong Lary

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Biography

Frank Lary, born in 1930, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1954 until his retirement in 1965. Known for his competitive spirit and effective pitching style, Lary finished his career with a record of 128 wins and 116 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.49, and a total of 1,099 strikeouts. He also recorded 11 saves throughout his tenure, showcasing his versatility on the mound. Lary's contributions to the game were recognized with three All-Star selections during his career, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. Lary played during a transformative time in baseball, characterized by the evolution of pitching strategies and player development. His ability to consistently perform in high-pressure situations made him a valuable asset to his teams, and he became known for his durability and competitiveness. His accomplishments not only solidified his place in baseball history but also inspired future generations of pitchers who admired his tenacity and skill on the field.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
128 116 350 292 126 21 11 2162.3 2123 838 197 616 1099 3.49 0

Career ERA 3.49 vs. league average 3.80 across their career seasons — 8.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1954 DET AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3.7 4 1 3 5 2.45 — 0.0
1955 DET AL 14 15 36 31 16 2 1 235.0 232 81 89 98 3.10 4.00 (+22%) 4312.4
1956 DET AL 21 13 41 38 20 3 1 294.0 289 103 116 165 3.15 3.96 (+20%) 4121.0
1957 DET AL 11 16 40 35 12 2 3 237.7 250 105 72 107 3.98 3.83 (-4%) -259.2
1958 DET AL 16 15 39 34 19 3 1 260.3 249 84 68 131 2.90 3.86 (+25%) 3237.7
1959 DET AL 17 10 32 32 11 3 0 223.0 225 88 46 137 3.55 3.90 (+9%) 2817.2
1960 DET AL 15 15 38 36 15 2 1 274.3 262 107 62 149 3.51 3.82 (+8%) 2223.0
1961 DET AL 23 9 36 36 22 4 0 275.3 252 99 66 146 3.24 4.03 (+20%) 4329.4
1962 DET AL 2 6 17 14 2 1 0 80.0 98 51 21 41 5.74 3.96 (-45%) -2717.8
1963 DET AL 4 9 16 14 6 0 0 107.3 90 39 26 46 3.27 3.46 (+5%) -2320.7
1964 DET AL 0 2 6 4 0 0 0 18.0 24 14 10 6 7.00 3.58 (-96%) -1215.5
1964 NYN NL 2 3 13 8 3 1 1 57.3 62 29 14 27 4.55 3.58 (-27%) -887.0
1964 ATL NL 1 0 5 2 0 0 0 12.3 15 6 0 4 4.38 3.58 (-22%) -
1965 NYN NL 1 3 14 7 0 0 1 57.3 48 19 16 23 2.98 3.50 (+15%) 639.5
1965 CHW AL 1 0 14 1 0 0 2 26.7 23 12 7 14 4.05 3.50 (-16%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
362 734 68 130 12 6 6 54 0 39 211 0.177 0.219 0.234 0.453 -4033.1

Career AVG .177 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 30.5% below league average.

Career OBP .219 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 32.1% below league average.

Career SLG .234 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 39.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.453 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — 36.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1954 DET AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1955 DET AL 36 82 4 16 2 0 0 2 0 4 29 0.195 .258 (-25%) .332 (-30%) .393 (-44%) .726 (-38%) -528.4
1956 DET AL 41 103 14 19 2 0 1 12 0 8 25 0.184 .258 (-29%) .331 (-28%) .397 (-41%) .728 (-35%) -646.9
1957 DET AL 40 73 4 9 0 1 0 4 0 2 22 0.123 .257 (-52%) .323 (-55%) .391 (-61%) .715 (-58%) -729.9
1958 DET AL 39 88 6 15 1 1 1 6 0 3 20 0.170 .257 (-34%) .324 (-39%) .394 (-39%) .719 (-39%) -601.3
1959 DET AL 32 80 7 10 1 1 1 2 0 4 26 0.125 .256 (-51%) .323 (-49%) .392 (-49%) .715 (-49%) -668.5
1960 DET AL 39 93 11 17 4 1 2 13 0 7 32 0.183 .255 (-28%) .323 (-26%) .387 (-20%) .711 (-22%) -373.1
1961 DET AL 42 108 13 25 2 0 1 5 0 3 27 0.231 .258 (-10%) .328 (-21%) .399 (-30%) .727 (-26%) -485.0
1962 DET AL 22 24 3 4 0 1 0 1 0 2 9 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1963 DET AL 16 35 2 8 0 1 0 6 0 1 10 0.229 — — — — 0.0
1964 DET AL 6 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1964 NYN NL 13 17 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 5 0.118 — — — — 0.0
1964 ATL NL 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1965 NYN NL 14 19 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.211 — — — — 0.0
1965 CHW AL 14 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 350 292 174 351 21 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 DET P 3 0 0 0 0 0
1955 DET P 36 31 14 46 3 4
1956 DET P 41 38 15 45 3 3
1957 DET P 40 35 14 43 1 4
1958 DET P 39 34 20 39 1 1
1959 DET P 32 32 15 34 3 1
1960 DET P 38 36 14 37 4 2
1961 DET P 36 36 32 55 1 5
1962 DET P 17 14 7 8 3 0
1963 DET P 16 14 26 14 0 1
1964 DET P 6 4 0 1 0 0
1964 NYN P 13 8 7 7 0 1
1964 ML1 P 5 2 4 5 1 0
1965 NYN P 14 7 6 11 1 1
1965 CHA P 14 1 0 6 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 350

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1961 Gold Glove P
1961 TSN All-Star P

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL 1949, 1950

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1961 Cy Young Award ML 3rd 2.0 18 2
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 53.0 280 0
1958 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 3.0 336 0
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 24.0 336 0